Friday, June 27, 2008

I prefer to have this pilaf instead of rice. It is more nutritious and delicious for me.
It is good to go with yogurt and green onion or any kind of salad.

Ingredients:

1 cup of green lentils, washed

1 cup of bulgur( dried, medium crushed wheat)

2 cups of boiling water

1 medium size of onion

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 tbs of red pepper paste

salt

Place lentils in medium pot, add enough water to cover and cook until just tender. Drain the lentil and place bulgur, boiling water, lentil, red pepper paste, and salt to the same pot and gentle stir. Place the pan over medium heat, cover the lid. When it starts bubbling turn the heat to low. Cook it until bulgur completely absorbs the water.

Thinly slice the onion. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Saute the onion until it is golden brown. Add this saute to the pilaf and stir gentle. Take the pan to a cool place and cover it with paper towel, put the lid on and let sit 15 minutes. This way, paper towel absorbs all of the remaining water.

Friday, June 20, 2008

When we talk about Turkish breakfast, the first two elements come to our minds are olive and cheese. We do like to eat them plain. However, it is possible to make variety of dishes with olive and cheese.
One of them is this paste. You can spread it on crackers or bread, use it as a seasoning agent for salads and soups. Its uses are unlimited.

Ingredients:

3 cups of black olive

2 tbs of olive oil

2 tbs of thyme

1 tbs of basil

1/2 of black pepper

1 clove of garlic

salt( optional)

Remove the pits from the olives and discard. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl of food processor and process to a spreading consistency. It takes around ten minutes.

Take the paste in a jar. Spread olive oil on the surface of paste to keep it fresh. Store it in the refrigerator.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

This salad has no specific recipe, this is the way I do it. The differences of my recipe are sumac and basil. These two ingredients make the salad delicious.

Ingredients:

4 large size of potatoes

1 bunch of parsley

1 small size of onion

1 bunch of fresh onion

Lettuce leaves (optional )

1 tbs of sumac

1tbs of basil

1 lemon juice

3 tbs of olive oil

salt, pepper

Wash potatoes and place them in a large pot, fill with water to cover, and cook until just tender. Meanwhile, thinly slice onion, parsley, and fresh onion. When the potatoes cool down, peel and cube them. Take all of the ingredients in a big mixing bowl and mix all of them with your fingers for a better taste.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Simit means a lot for Turks. If you are outside and hungry and have limited time to eat, simit is always the first and the best choice. You can see them sold by hawker on the streets of Turkey or in a fancy "Simit Houses." It is much more tastier, if you have a slice of feta cheese and a cup of Turkish tea with it.

Since I am not in Turkey, I have to do it by myself.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1/2 tbsp of instant yeast

3/4 cups of warm water

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp of salt

Topping:

4 tbsp of grape molasses

2 tbsp of water

2 cups of roasted sesame seeds

Mix yeast, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add warm water and knead them all together with your hands until becoming dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Keep the bowl in a warm place( not hot) for quick rising and let it rest until the dough rises to double its size. Take the bowl and knead the dough again until it is bubble free. Place the dough onto counter top and cut it into 12 pieces. Give each of them a shape of long roll (like 8 inches).Take two of long rolls and twist them around. Bring the ends together. It will look like a bagel. Meanwhile, mix grape molasses and water with a whisk in a large mixing bowl. Take sesame seeds in a large plate. Dip simits into this liquid and drain the remaining liquid. Dip them into sesame seeds. Place them in a greased baking sheet.Preheat the oven to 350F. Let simits rise for 20 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes, or until simits become a golden brown color and crispy.